Jehovah's girl, 15 can have transfusion

12:00AM BST 25 Sep 2000

DOCTORS will be permitted to give a 15-year-old Jehovah's Witness girl a blood transfusion during a kidney transplant operation despite it being against her wishes.

A Northern Ireland health trust asked a High Court in Belfast for a ruling on whether it was lawful for a transfusion to be given if necessary without the girl's or her father's consent. The girl, identified only as 'C', and her father wanted the operation to go ahead but refused to give consent for a transfusion. The girl's mother, who lives separately in England, agreed to a transfusion.

Ruling that a transfusion was lawful and in the girl's best interests, Mr Justice Higgins said the girl, her family and congregation were content to leave the decision to the court and had agreed to abide by its ruling.

The judge said: "It is regarded as unlikely that a blood transfusion will be required, but that cannot be determinative. The possibility remains that a transfusion may become necessary to preserve life. The dilemma this situation creates for a child and its family are immense. 'C' and her father will understand that this dilemma has been taken from them and as a judicial decision has been made their conscience is absolved from responsibility."

Afterwards, a solicitor representing the girl's mother said: "My client was mindful of her genuinely and firmly-held religious beliefs. This decision will mean a vast improvement to her quality of life. Indeed it could be the means of saving her life."